LACON — A public hearing on an Iowa firm’s plans for a huge new hog farm outside Wenona has been tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m. on April 17 in the Marshall County Courthouse.

There actually are expected to be two sessions that night. The Illinois Department of Agriculture will be holding its own informational meeting on the project to coincide with a county Zoning Board of Appeals hearing to consider a request for a special use permit for Sandy Creek Lane LLC, officials said Wednesday at a special County Board meeting.

A bare quorum of seven of that 12-member panel voted unanimously to request that the state agency also hold a meeting that night, but that was largely a formality, said county engineer and zoning administrator Patrick Sloan.

“They’ve agreed to hold that on April 17 as well,” Sloan told the board. “So we’ll have two meetings at the same time.”

One advantage for the county is that the state will provide a hearing officer and court reporter and conduct the meeting, Sloan said. So ZBA members and the public will have access to the information generated in the state’s own permitting process, he added.

“That way it gives people in the county an opportunity to find out what’s going on, ask questions, and, I suppose, state any objections,” said board Chairman Gary Kroeschen.

At the same time, questions were raised about the capacity of the courtroom to hold the crowd if the hearing is heavily attended. The courtroom has 50 folding, theater-style seats, with some room for additional chairs at the back and sides.

The Illinois Open Meetings Act has been held to require that a meeting venue be large enough to accommodate the public, so an overflow crowd could lead to the meeting being postponed.

Kroeschen said after the meeting it might be worth considering a different location. If the venue were changed, that would require new published legal notices at least 15 days in advance.

The project proposed by VMC Management Corp. would involve 5,600 breeding sows under roof in buildings at 1165 County Road 2800 E., about 3½ miles northwest of Wenona, according to a project description. The developers say it would entail a $17 million investment and create 15-20 on-farm jobs.

If the hearing is held April 17, the board would vote in May whether to grant a county permit. It also would vote on a recommendation for a state permit, but Sloan said that would be strictly advisory.

Gary L. Smith can be reached at (800) 516-0389 or glsmith@mtco.com. Read his Northern Circuit blog at pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Glsmithx